While browsing through some food blog URLs given to me by a friend, I found a link to this page which discusses, and displays, Benjamin Franklin's recipe for "milk punch", an alcoholic brew that features milk as a primary ingredient. It's not eggnog, because there are no eggs in it--just seasonings, milk, and brandy. The webpage, put together by the Massachusetts Historical Society, notes that Franklin's recipe is a cross between a posset and a syllabub. As the MHS explains:
Possets were used as remedies for colds, and were consumed from the spout of a posset cup, which let one drink the whey from the bottom and eat the curd later. Syllabubs combine milk with wine and lemon juice (or other acids); the acid from the wine and juice curdle the milk. Served in a glass, the foamy curd of the syllabub is eaten with a spoon and the punch drunk.
So both types of recipes combine a beverage with curds to eat--perhaps a good hangover cure? Anyway, it's an interesting recipe. If I drank brandy, I would try it.
